The Cannes Film Festival had its closing ceremony over the weekend and one of its stand-out moments was Asia Argento’s presentation of the best actress award.
The Italian actress made a rousing speech about disgraced producer Harvey Weinstein's role at the event, saying she was raped by Weinstein at the festival in 1997 when she was 21 years old. She described Cannes as Weinstein's “hunting ground.”
She continued: “I want to make a prediction: Harvey Weinstein will never be welcomed here ever again. He will live in disgrace, shunned by a film community that once embraced him and covered up for his crimes.
“Even tonight, sitting among you, there are those that need to be held accountable for their conduct against women, for behaviour that does not belong in this industry, does not belong in any industry or workplace. You know who you are. But most importantly, we know who you are, and we’re not going to allow you to get away with it any longer.”
After her speech, Cate Blanchett, the jury president, said: “It is complicated as a woman to stand.”
You can watch the speech below:
Le puissant discours d’@AsiaArgento pendant la cérémonie de clôture de Cannes. « J’ai été violée ici en 1997 par Harvey Weinstein ». ðŸ'ŠðŸ'ª pic.twitter.com/Qn1uguRzP4
— Hugo Clément (@hugoclement) May 19, 2018